Why Employees Disengage

"They didn't come here that way. When people come to 'XYZ' company, they are eager to contribute. We make them this way." This was in response to a question that I asked one of the executive team members at a company I once worked. It took me about four months to realize something was out of kilter. On the surface, employees appeared to be contributing, but really they were just collecting a paycheck and doing just enough to get by.

Before long, I was struggling to stay engaged. One of the principles I live by is to find purpose and meaning in my life's work. I want all of me to show up on an assignment - body, soul, and spirit. I am not interested in merely doing tasks with my heart not really into it. Yet so many workers are doing exactly that. In the book Ten Thousand Horses by John Stahl-Wert and Ken Jennings, the authors cite research by the Gallup Organization that only 29 per cent of workers are engaged.The rest "essentially sleepwalk through the day, meeting only your baseline expectations, or in worst cases they're actively working to undermine your company's performance" (p.xii).

I am not sure if any nonprofit organizations were included in the research, but the results would eventually be the same. It may take a little longer for employees of nonprofits and ministries to disengage, because many times the very reason that they want to work for nonprofits and ministries is motivated by the desire to help others.

So why did employees at "XYZ" Company disengage? I have determined four main reasons:

1. Lack of trust in leadership. Those in leadership roles had consistently said one thing and done another. (Stahl-Wert and Jennings deem trust as the most important component. Everything else that is done hinges on a relationship of trust).
2. Lack of a viable plan. There was no clear mission  and any plans that were established were done so by managers with no team collaboration. Employees felt unappreciated in their roles. They had no voice.
3. Lack of accountability. Employees' performance was not tied to team goals and company goals. Employees never really knew how they were performing. They didn't know if they needed improvement or whether they were performing well. Promotions were based on arbitrary, non measurable criteria.
4. Lack of concern for employees. This was subtle, but true. The organization as a whole was the priority, but the employees themselves could have been widgets or robots as long as the work got done. No one took the time to really know anyone else on a personal level.

Ideally, leaders should be held accountable for worker disengagement. Ironically, while leaders mete out  punishment for the symptoms of disengagement, it may be time to take a good hard look at themselves. If you are a leader, are you contributing to employee disengagement at your organization? I recommend reading Ten Thousand Horses to take a deeper look.